The Academy: Drop of Doubt by C.L. Stone Review #2

The Academy Drop of Doubt

By C.L. Stone

Release Date: January 22, 2014

Sang Sorenson and the Academy boys return to Ashley Waters High School but before they get a chance to even settle in, Sang’s life is threatened by an anonymous caller.

They retreat to the protective walls of the Morgan estate, a safe house for when the boys are under fire. But when new threats can break through those barriers that once kept them secure, it leaves Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North rushing to figure out who is hunting them. 

But when you’re fighting a ghost who seems to know all your secrets, retreating is no longer an option.

The Academy, Deceptively Strategic.

Author Links:

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Meredith's Review:

Ok, so I realize Jen already reviewed this one. BUT...I just had to say something too. I mean, just OMG. I love this series! And oh my #TeamVictor, #TeamGabriel....I'm so at a loss. I've always been a die-hard North girl, but I don't know even Dr. Green is sneaking in there with such ease. 

The story keeps getting more intense with each book, and I found Drop of Doubt to be edge-of-your-seat great. I HATED having to put it down to you know...work, take care of the kiddos, all those real world things that totally get in the way. I needed to know what happened and waiting nearly killed me.

I won't go into any details because doing so just ruins the fun. But I will say there are some fantabulous Victor moments, some OMG Gabriel moments, and even a few Wha...hahahawt Dr. Green moments. My #TeamNorth self is jumping on board several teams at this point. 

I can't forget our leading lady Sang. She is just Ah-MAZ-ing! This girl has spunk and is loyal to the end. For someone so damaged, so confused, and so alone (although not anymore), this girl has got fight in her. I'm going to have to say the word failure is not in her dictionary because the girl never gives up and never gives in. You will be cheering her on in this book.

So, since I can't spoil my favorite moments that I SO want to talk about...I will gif them instead (well, a few anyway. There are too many to count)!

Moment #1-Sang and Victor

Moment #2-Sang and Gabriel

Moment #3-Bathtub

Followed by

Moment #4 Dr Green

Moment #5 Sang and Luke

Moment #6 The Twist Ending

How I felt after reading this book:

And a little:

That is all!

Review-The Academy: Forgiveness and Permission by CL Stone

The Academy Forgiveness & Permission
By CL Stone
Release Date October 29, 2013

From Goodreads:
Sang Sorenson’s abusive mother is secure in a hospital, and her father has vanished to a new family of his own, leaving Sang and her sister to fend for themselves. Sang is hanging by a thread, and her only hope is a group of boys she feels she barely knows.

She’s never really alone. The Academy team has stepped in, promising to protect and care for Sang. Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North take over, showing Sang they can be depended on for anything. But just because the parents are away, doesn’t mean Sang’s life has become any easier.

The newfound freedom will have a higher price than any of them had imagined.

Principal Hendricks now wants to use Sang to exploit Academy secrets. Mr. McCoy has his own dark plans for her. Enemies are closing in. Sang will need to learn to believe in the boys, and the boys will need to learn to trust her if they want to survive their rivals.

And each other.

The Academy, Relentless Trust

Author Links:

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Meredith's Review:

Okay, so it's no secret that I am totally obsessed with this series. Every time a new book releases I devour it in a day and then pine over the next one until it comes out. I don't know how C.L. Stone does it, but she has totally forced me to completely fall for this crazy group of characters. EVERY ONE OF THEM! 

The boys have proven they will always be there for her time and time again, but now Sang needs them even more. I am always blown away by Sang's ability to still manage to see so much good in the world with all she's had to deal with. How can she still care for the woman her abused her, the father who abandoned her, and the sister who deliberately stood by and let her endure so much pain? This girl is so strong and amazing! The small things she keeps from the boys to avoid complicating their lives even further, is so selfless and just....wow.

In this book we watch the group grow closer. And I mean....closer. I can't believe I am actually hoping she kisses all of them? Wait...what? Well, I can't help it. I love them all, she loves them all, how on earth can you really pick just one? They are all so different and offer unique support to this broken girl that I suddenly find myself jumping from one team to the next with each turn of the page. Deep down there is even a part of me that hopes she never chooses one. I don't think I could handle the total heartbreak the others would suffer. I mean, if we are being honest, this is the most unhealthy group dynamic ever...but at the same time it's the most loving, most pure form of friendship I've ever seen. 

We've all read love triangles and rolled our eyes over the "choice" the heroine had to make. But somehow C.L. Stone has weaved this love-decagon that feels so natural, so real, and so powerful. I can honestly say I've never felt so strongly for SO many characters in one novel before. It's truly amazing how the author pulls you in to each individual encounter and makes you focus only on the two involved. How is that even possible??

Now this book isn't all lovey-dovey. Things are getting pretty wild, especially where Mr. McCoy is involved. He is seriously one creepy dude. And his fixation on Sang is crazy, psycho type stuff. But the Academy is always one step ahead of the bad guy....right? Or what if they aren't? What if this time, they are one step behind?

As I'm writing this review I am highly anticipating Drop of Doubt, which comes out Wednesday WOOT! And if you haven't seen it, check out the trailer for the next installment is this crazy-bizarre-totally-addictive series HERE. And click on a cover below to see our reviews on the first three books in the series.

        

Oh, and in case I forgot to mention...that ending...OMG!

Review by Jennifer- The Academy Friends VS. Family by C.L. Stone

Title: The Academy Friends vs. Family
Author: C.L. Stone

Publisher:  Arcato Publishing

Publish Date: August 27, 2013

Author Links:

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Book Links:

Amazon

From Goodreads
Sang Sorenson is forced to suffer through another of her mother’s extreme punishments. It almost kills her. The Academy boys vow it will be the last. They're determined to keep Sang safe, especially from her own family. 

Their solution: complete invasion of her life.

Kota, Luke, Silas, Nathan, Victor, Gabriel and North do everything within their power to show Sang what true loyalty means. It takes more than blood to make a family and they want Sang in theirs.
In this third book of The Academy series Sang experiences a taste of freedom and what it’s like to truly be cared for...to be wanted. Sang learns a bit more about the boys’ broken families and the boys discover more than they could ever have bargained for about Sang’s. The Academy was the answer to their problems. Could it be hers?

Sang’s actions will force her mother to reveal a startling truth. A truth that will change Sang’s life and the boys’ lives in unpredictable ways. Forever.

The Academy, Allegiance

Jennifer's Review: Tell me More, Tell me More :-)
Well, I LOVE this series.  In the first book, Introductions, we get just that..an overview of every character. It definitely left me wanting more. Luckily Book 2- The Academy "First Days was already out. (or else I might of gone crazy). I think I zipped through that in a couple of days....if that. It was just THAT GOOD. We get to know a little more about all the characters, their secrets, the normal high school problems they encounter: bullying, fitting in, finding your place, all the while the mysterious "Academy" looms in the background. At this point I have to say that I am totally 100% Team Kota even though I do love each of the boys in a different way because they all just really great! I was not happy that I had to wait for book three to come out because I am hooked on these characters and can't wait to find out what happens next.

So on August 27th I was rewarded with the third book in the series "Friends vs. Family". The boys really step up to the plate to help Sang in this book. They offer her love, hope and salvation from an otherwise isolated and painful life. We do get some answered questions about Sang's parents (what's going on with her mom and why is her Dad never there)-- along with some more questions of course :-). We also get some insight into the boy's past and why they react the way they do -- which I enjoyed. We do learn more about how the Academy is run but still not exactly what it is. I am hoping for some more insight in book 4.

So are their any romantic connections between the boys and Sang? A few come to light in this book and I still 100% cheering for my favorite boy, Kota. :-)

There were some truly really funny moments in this book -- I loved shopping with the boys at the mall!
There were some really upsetting moments in this book too - (I won't spoil anything here)
And the boys were amazing through it all, thankfully Sang has them!

The ending was perfect as C.L. Stone changes the POV and she changes it to my own personal fav boy, Kota. I hope for more of this in the upcoming books because it was perfect to hear exactly how he was feeling.

So my vote is for more POVs by the boys so we can see where each of the boys is coming from and how they really feel!

I CAN'T WAIT FOR OCTOBER so I can continue finding more I love about all the characters :-)

I love each of the characters for different reasons and C.L.Stone does a wonderful job describing them that I have my own vivid perfect picture of each of the "boys" in my head. I am not sure any real photo will do them justice but here is Meredith's and my best EFFORT at what they look like in our minds!

Lazy Days of Summer Blog Hop

Burgandy Ice & I Am A Reader Not A Writer  invite you to put up Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway post and join us in this “spontaneous hop”.

There are not a lot of rules to follow.  You need to create a post and then add your self to the linky.

Do not add your link to the linky until you have a post up so you can “Direct Link” to the linky.  If you add your link prior to putting up a post it will likely be deleted and you will have to readd it once you have a post up.

A direct link looks like this (also known as a Permalink)

http://www.iamareader.com/2013/06/spontaneous-midsummers-eve-giveaway-hop-join-now.html

Hop Rules

1. Create a giveaway post specifically for this hop and give something away on your blog.

2. Please include the Hop image.

3. Include the linky or link to this post.

4. Add a direct link to your post to the linky.

5. Family Friendly of course!

You can put your post up anytime from until the end of July, the sooner the better but I realize this is last minute!

Grab the code for the linky at the bottom of the linky where it says get code here.

***Here is my Giveaway***

I am SO in love with The Academy series by C.L. Stone that I am giving away an ecopy of either Introductions or First Days. You can read my reviews HERE and HERE. The giveaway is international so go for it!

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Review-The Academy First Days by C.L. Stone

Title: The Academy First Days
Author: C.L. Stone

Publisher:  Arcato Publishing

Publish Date: April 5, 2013

From Goodreads:

Sang Sorenson used to be the invisible girl in class. As a new student to Ashley Waters High School, Sang hopes that her new friends will be the change she’s been craving and will make fitting in a breeze.

But Academy students aren’t there to take it easy. The high school is overcrowded and rife with violence. When fights begin, Sang will uncover the true reason the boys traded in their private school life for a public one. 

This year, Sang will no longer be invisible. This year, Sang is a target.

The principal and vice principal are hot to take Sang down, and her own mother is determined to entrap Sang forever in her belief that the safest place to be is in the shadows. Despite this, Nathan, Luke, Kota, North, Silas, Victor, and Gabriel will discover Sang’s unyielding loyalty.

And they will sorely need it.

The Academy, supremely influential.

Author Links:

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Book Links:

Amazon/B&N

My Review:

Juicier than the first and full of unexpected surprises.

Every once in a while you come across a random book: one that you’ve never heard of, one that wasn’t recommended, one that you just took a chance on. This is that book. Or rather, this is that series. I came across the initial book, The Academy Introductions and it sounded interesting. When I read it, it was nothing like what I expected. This wasn’t a bad thing, but it was definitely an odd read. Still, I needed more. So I read the second book, The Academy First Days. Guess what happened? It just got better.

This series is so addictive. I can't even explain why. There is so much mystery surrounding everything, and like the main character Sang, we are left with unanswered questions and theories. I don't know which character I love the most. Snag always surprises and the boys are all amazing in their own unique way. I can't pick a favorite.

The book reads somewhat like a contemporary YA. There are normal problems with high school: bullying, insecurities about fitting in, finding your place etc. But then there is the added mystery of the Academy hanging in the background. I am dying to know what in the world it is and its purpose. We get a lot more information in this book, but not everything. There is so much more to the Academy that I ever imagined. It’s almost like Pretty Little Liars, only instead of the mysterious A, there is the mysterious Academy. And unlike A, it isn’t out to destroy our beloved main characters.

More than just the Academy, I want to know the background of each boy and how they all got together as a group. Finding out why Kota took Sang under his wing made me love him so much more and it made his character all the more complex (in a good way). I know each one of the seven boys has a complicated and exciting history. I hope we get to know more. I even want to know more about Dr. Green and the always evolving Mr. Blackbourne. I especially hope to know more about my particular favorite guy!

There is a list of minor characters that spice up the story including the completely creepy "Mall" Greg, the goofy always-proposing Mike, the is-he-sincere Rocky, and the hopeful female-friend-for-Sang Karen. Ashley Waters High School is full of odd characters. We also get a little more of a glimpse into Sang's sister Marie, and a possible start to uncovering what's wrong with their mother. 

At the very end is an added (an unexpected) mystery about Sang herself. I won't say what it is to avoid spoilers, but it's pretty darn juicy. There are so many twists and unexpected turns in this series. I can't wait for the next book as I imagine, just like the second book, it just keeps getting better.

***GIVEAWAY***

Because I love this series so much, I am going to GIVEAWAY ONE ecopy of The Academy Introductions (#1 in series) OR The Academy First Days (#2 in series). Just enter below. You can read my review of Introductions here. 

Good luck!

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